The Best Sports Blog You're Not Reading

July 31, 2014July 30, 2014

Odds & Ends-Volume 72

My apologies for not having written anything lately. I promise I will try and write more,so for now,here’s a special edition of Odds & Ends.

The construction on the Sacramento Kings’ new arena will begin Friday as the Downtown Plaza will come down after 43 years of operation. The new arena is schedules to open in the fall of 2016,and people are still upset about it.

Why?

I mean,I get it, people don’t want to spend money on an arena that they probably won’t be able to afford to go to when money could be going to schools and other places, but in my view, this is going to be a great thing for everyone. Downtown Sacramento is going to thrive with the arena being there as well as the future restaurants and hangouts that will pop up nearby. I can’t think of anything more exciting to happen for this city. Everybody who is against all of this can simply decide not to go to games,you’re probably not sports fans anyhow.

The Oakland Raiders may be saying goodbye to the Bay Area and hello to the Lone Star State.

Owner Mark Davis sat down with officials in San Antonio to possibly explore the city as the next home of the Raiders. The team is currently looking for options for a new stadium, those include a site at the current Coliseum, Los Angeles, and now San Antonio.

If the team did move, they would play in a refurbished Alamodome (or it may be a temporary venue until a new stadium is built) and move to their third city since being established in 1960. The Raiders were located in Los Angeles from 1982-94 in between their first and current stints in Oakland.

I have no clue if this will happen, but if it did, I think San Antonio would actually do a very good job supporting the Raiders. They’ve already proven themselves a viable sports market with the Spurs who have won five NBA titles in the span of 15 years. There’s no doubt in my mind that they would be good NFL fans as well. Plus, both of their sports teams would be wearing the same silver and black colors.

I’m no Dodgers fan in the slightest, but I do admire and have a ton of respect for Vin Scully and am happy to know that the voice of the team for 65 years will be back for a 66th season in 2015.

Scully, 86, has been broadcasting for the Dodgers since 1950 when they were still calling Ebbets Field home. While he is excited to be back,Scully realizes that that there will be a time to say goodbye, now is just not that time.

“It is very difficult to say goodbye,” Scully said. “God willing, I will be back next year. Over the years, I have been blessed to have so many friends, including those that sit in the stands and listen as well as those at home, who listen and watch. It is just too hard to say goodbye to all these friends. Naturally, there will come a time when I will have to say goodbye, but I’ve soul-searched, and this is not the time.”

I think that is welcome news for not just Dodger fans,but all baseball fans. Scully has been one of the greatest voices of the game with so many great calls over his career.

There aren’t many like him. So few are like him like Jon Miller in San Francisco,but Scully is still doing his thing,albeit part-time. Bless his heart and good luck to you next season,Vin.